Trading Cabins
by valele
Summary: This summer had been great. I’d finally, totally broken free of Tess, I’d made good friends, and I’d met Nate. What else could I ask for? Naitlyn, one-shot.


**Well, well. I was reading a fic and it gave me this idea, so here goes.**

**--**

"So," Nate starts. "You excited to go back home?"

I snort very ungracefully. "Why would I?"

"I don't know, I…" Nate shrugs and trails off. We're sitting on the docks, and it's the last day of camp. Tomorrow, we'll all leave to go back home – not something I'm looking forward to at all.

This summer had been great. I'd finally, totally broken free of Tess, I'd made good friends, and I'd met Nate. What else could I ask for?

Nate liking me could be something.

Except he doesn't, and that's that. So what am I supposed to do? I could tell him about this humongous crush I have on him, but then he'd just laugh in my face and I don't want that.

I stand up quickly, and Nate looks at me curiously. "Where are you going?" he asks.

"I remembered I need to, uh, clean up my purse! Or something," I mumble.

On my way to my cabin, I go over everything that has happened lately. Should I tell him? Should I keep it to myself? Should I just not do anything and "go with the flow"?

I think I should stop thinking about it. Not that I'm going to, of course, because my brain doesn't function like that. Stupid brain.

Why am I ranting in my head? Never mind, don't answer that. I open the door to the cabin Mitchie and I are sharing since she moved out of Tess'. I hear someone moan and I immediately close the door. Was that Mitchie? I open the door a little and look on Mitchie's bed. Yep, Shane and Mitchie are going at it.

Where am I supposed to go now? Being the good friend I am, I'm not going to interrupt and demand for my cabin back. Hey, maybe I'll go stay with Lola!

I walk to Lola's cabin, happy I found somewhere to stay. But then I open the door and see her and Barron making out on her bed, and I run out immediately. "Is tonight make-out-all-night night and I didn't get the memo?" I mutter to myself.

After three more unsuccessful tries, I head over to Nate's cabin. Shane usually sleeps there, but of course, we all know where he is now. Jason shares a cabin with his younger brother, so Nate is by himself tonight.

I knock on the door and wait patiently for Nate to come like the nice, polite person I am. God knows I'm not going to barge in again. After seeing five of my friends making out with someone, last thing I want is to see Nate making out with someone.

I doubt he is, though. He's a loser like that.

The door opens and I smile brightly at Nate. He looks at me, confused, looking like he just woke up, or worse – like he was making out with someone! Oh, no! I open the door, just to see his bed unmade and notice Nate's just in his boxers. He must've been sleeping, then.

"Caitlyn, what are you doing?" he asks.

"Well, since Shane's shacking up with my roomie, I figured we could be roomies for the night."

"You wanna sleep here?" he says. I nod, and he shrugs. We're wonderful conversationalists, aren't we?

Yes, we are.

I head over to Shane's bed when Nate stops me. "I wouldn't sleep there if I was you," he tells me. "Mitchie came over last night."

"Well, thanks for letting me know. I'm gonna go change now." I go into the bathroom and change quickly. When I come out, Nate isn't in his bed, so I jump on it and snuggle up under the covers.

I wonder where Nate went, but I don't go looking for him or anything. Instead, I breathe in the wonderful smell of Nate that's all around me and settle to sleep.

Of course, Nate had to choose that moment to walk in again. "Caitlyn!" he exclaims. I grin sheepishly at him, while he continues to complain. "I don't wanna get Shane's cooties, either!"

Not quite thinking, I tell him, "We can share, then!"

It doesn't take long for me to realize what I just said, and when I do, I blush just as much as Nate does.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

We decide we don't really want to sleep yet, so we sit on the steps of the cabin after smuggling some hot chocolate from the kitchen and talk.

Nate's saying something about his guitar or something, but I'm not really listening, because I'm too focused on just watching him. He's so gorgeous; he makes me all fluttery inside. Is that a good thing?

He waves a hand in front of my face. "Cait, are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, uh, totally!"

"What was I saying, then?" he asks me.

"You were saying something about how… Oh, I don't know. You win." I frown at him, and he frowns back. "Well, it's not my fault you're so cute I can't help but stare at you!"

As soon as I say that, I realize I made a big mistake. Nate's eyebrows raise, but the expression on his face is anything but amused. More like grim, I'd say.

For a couple of minutes, neither one of us says anything. "Nate, do you like me?" I ask quietly.

"No."

When he answers, I stand up and leave. There's really nothing I can do now, is there? Not caring that my clothes are still in his cabin, I run back to mine.

Just as I get there, Shane's exiting the cabin. He takes one look at my tear-stained face and he pulls me into a hug.

"What's wrong, Cait?" he asks.

"I asked Nate if he likes me, and he said he didn't," I tell him, burying my face in his shirt.

"What are you talking about? Nate's liked you since our first year here!" he says. "Why would he say that?"

I look up at Shane, and make up my mind to go talk to Nate now. I don't understand what's going on, but if there's one thing I hate more than lentil soup, it's leaving things unresolved.

"Shane, you wanna go have sex with Mitchie again?" I ask. He grins mischievously at me and goes back to the cabin.

Right before he walks in, he turns around and says, "Good luck."

I walk away, towards Nate's cabin. Once I get there, I open the door, not even bothering to knock. When Nate sees me, relief washes over his face, and I have to admit, it throws me off.

"I-," we both start. "You first," we said in unison again.

"Cait, when I said I didn't like you, I didn't mean it like that." Nate looks at me earnestly, and continues talking. "I was going to add something else, but you ran out so fast I didn't have time. What I wanted to say was that I don't like you, I love you."

My eyes open wide in disbelief. "Wh-what?" I stutter, surprised. This is _so_ not what I expected when I came to talk to Nate, but before I can say anything else, Nate crosses the room quickly and kisses me.

What do you think I did? I kissed him back, of course! His hands are on my waist and mine are in his hair, and before anything else happens, we're both on his bed.

Nate pauses and looks at me. I know what he's trying to say, so I nod and he continues kissing me as we slowly strip away our clothing items. It's our first time, together or with anyone, and we don't want it to happen in a hurry.

Don't ask how I know, by the way. I just do.

After what seems like an eternity (not that I'm not enjoying it), well, you know what happens. I guess Shane _will_ have to stay at our cabin after all. Not that he'd mind.

**--**

**Well, there ya go. Thoughts?**


End file.
